LANSDALE — During 15 minutes of emotional testimony on Tuesday morning, a woman tearfully recounted in agonizing detail how Michael Needling, Jr. — a man she referred to on the stand as her “ex-fiance” — brutally attacked her on the night of Dec. 8 inside the Lansdale apartment they shared.

First, she alleged, he yelled at her for half an hour after she returned home that evening, then he went outside and slashed a tire on her car so she couldn’t leave, and then he punched her dozens of times, kicked her and choked her repeatedly for nearly an hour — “I felt like I was fighting for my life,” she testified — before she was able to flee the residence via the emergency fire escape with her young son and go to a neighbor’s house to get help.

Handcuffed and clad in a blue prison jumpsuit, Needling, 37 — of the 100 block of East Main Street — listened to the testimony with a pained expression on his face during the preliminary hearing before District Judge Harold Borek of Lansdale.

In a criminal complaint filed in district court, Lansdale police said they responded to Needling’s apartment Dec. 8 for a report of a domestic disturbance, and encountered the victim, who was crying and shaking and claiming that Needling had beaten her up and pulled out her hair.

Observing red marks on the woman’s neck, officers called an ambulance to transport the woman to Lansdale Hospital, and took Needling — who was at the scene — into custody, police said.

At the hospital later, according to police, the woman stated to officers that she thought she was going to die from Needling’s assault.

On Tuesday, during a brief cross-examination, Needling’s lawyer asked the victim how serious her injuries were.

“I’ve had pain in my head to where I couldn’t function, and pain all over my body,” she testified.

Needling’s lawyer declined to challenge any of the charges levied against his client — and Borek held all charges for trial — but he asked the judge to lower Needling’s $25,000 cash bail.

Prosecutors objected to such a reduction, telling Borek that the victim “is still afraid...and has been having nightmares” and noting that she currently has a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order against Needling.

After several minutes of consideration, Borek reluctantly proposed lowering Needling’s bail to $10,000 cash — although Needling then complained that he still didn’t have enough money to post bond, garnering an angry look from the judge.

Borek said the reduced bail was contingent upon several conditions: That Needling would have to seek anger management and alcohol abuse counseling and show proof to the court within 10 days that he is undergoing such treatment; that he can have no contact with the victim; and that he would not be allowed to set foot in Lansdale without first notifying borough police.

Needling sighed deeply, then said he would agree to those conditions.

After the hearing, Needling was taken back to Montgomery County Correctional Facility, where he awaits formal arraignment in county court scheduled for Jan. 29.